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Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, a
nonprofit organization that addresses social health issues in aboriginal
communities, has released a 25-page glossary of terms relating to sexual health
vocabulary for persons who speak Inuktitut. Among the 53 Inuit communities in
Canada, more than 35,000 people speak Inuktitut as a first language, but the
language lacked specific terms and phrases relating to sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) like HIV/AIDS. This was seen as a barrier to public health.
Geri Bailey, Pauktuutit’s manager of health policy and programs, explained that
there were no consistent definitions. She stated that the lack of terms to
describe the illness accurately leaves patients at risk of not understanding
clearly. Bailey added that cancer and HIV translated the same way in some
dialects to mean that you have a terminal illness and you are going to die.
Also, many anatomical references were unspecific and confusing.
Pauktuutit held a summit for
Inuktitut language experts, elders, community workers, and health providers.
They defined 56 terms clearly relating to STIs, HIV/AIDS, and the specifics of
human anatomy in four major dialects of Inuktitut. The result is the booklet,
“Tukisiviit—Do You Understand Sexual Health?” which is now available to the
public after 18 months of work and a Canadian federal government grant of $269,000.
Copies have been distributed to schools, social service centers, clinics, and
hospitals across Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, northern Quebec, and
Labrador.
Tracy O’Hearn, Pauktuutit’s
executive director, noted that Inuit communities have some of the highest rates
of STIs in Canada. According to a government report on STIs, in Nunavut, where
more than two thirds o f Canada’s Inuktitut-speaking people live, the rate of
chlamydia infection in 2008 was more than 15 times that of the national average
and the rate of gonorrhea was more than 30 times the national average.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
